Behavioral Based Interviewing Course Overview
Bad hires cost organizations an average of $15,000 per employee in recruitment, training, and lost productivity. Traditional interview questions like “Where do you see yourself in five years?” rarely predict actual job performance, leaving hiring managers to rely on gut feelings rather than evidence.
The totalView™ Behavioral Based Interviewing Toolkit is a comprehensive six-course bundle that transforms how your team conducts interviews. Behavioral interviewing focuses on past behavior as the best predictor of future performance, giving interviewers a structured framework to ask the right questions, evaluate responses objectively, and make data-driven hiring decisions.
This toolkit takes HR professionals, recruiters, and hiring managers from foundational concepts through advanced techniques—covering everything from crafting effective behavioral questions to navigating legal considerations and blending interview approaches. Learners gain a complete interviewing system they can apply immediately to conduct more professional, consistent, and revealing interviews.
Behavioral Based Interviewing Course Content
This toolkit includes six integrated courses that build interviewing skills progressively:
Course 1: Introduction to Behavioral Interviewing
- The limitations of traditional interview questions
- Research supporting behavioral interviewing effectiveness
- Core principles and philosophy
- When to use behavioral vs. other interview types
- Overview of the totalView™ approach
Course 2: Preparing for Behavioral Interviews
- Job analysis and competency identification
- Creating competency-based interview guides
- Developing effective behavioral questions
- Structuring the interview flow
- Preparing rating scales and evaluation criteria
- Time management and interview logistics
Course 3: The STAR Method
- Understanding Situation, Task, Action, Result framework
- Teaching candidates to structure responses
- Recognizing complete vs. incomplete STAR answers
- Using STAR to probe vague or incomplete responses
- Adapting STAR for different experience levels
- Practice exercises with sample responses
Course 4: Conducting the Behavioral Interview
- Opening the interview professionally
- Asking behavioral questions effectively
- Active listening techniques
- Taking useful notes without distraction
- Probing and follow-up question strategies
- Managing difficult candidates and situations
- Closing the interview and next steps
Course 5: Evaluating Candidate Responses
- Objective scoring methods and rating scales
- Identifying red flags and positive indicators
- Comparing candidates fairly across interviews
- Avoiding common evaluation biases
- Documenting rationale for hiring decisions
- Consensus-building in panel interviews
Course 6: Legal Considerations and Blended Approaches
- Prohibited questions under EEOC guidelines
- ADA accommodation requirements during interviews
- Avoiding questions about protected characteristics
- Documentation best practices for legal protection
- Blending behavioral with situational and technical questions
- Tailoring approaches for different role types
- Advanced interviewing strategies
On-the-Job Exercise:
- Practical application project using real or simulated hiring scenarios
- Opportunity to practice skills with feedback
- Creates job aids interviewers can reference in future interviews
